BFI launches Britain on Film project
UK historical archives have been digitalised and opened to the public from today with the National Lottery.
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The British Film Institute (BFI) today unveiled its Britain on Film project – which begins the process of digitalising its historical films.
The collection has been uploaded onto the BFI Player, so that anybody can access the films for free.
With content dating back to 1895, the archive features films ranging in subject and length – from minute-long family holidays to full-length feature films.
Funding from the National Lottery and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation have supported the plans to digitalise 10,000 films in the next two years.
Some of the footage is iconic to British history – such as the world’s earliest known surviving home movies, created in 1902 and featuring members of the Passmore Family.
Others include traditional practices like the Scottish Old Norse Viking Festival (1927) and footage of celebrated playwright George Bernard Shaw at home in Ayot St Lawrence (1949).
Get involved on Twitter with #BritainOnFilm or visit the BFI website.
